Naruto: Rising Storm
by fireshadow0908
Summary: The Shinobi War is over and Naruto managed to bring Sasuke back. Naruto now has to follow his path to Hokage, while Sasuke aims for redemption. Both head towards their true destinies as a new threat appears aiming to end the ninja era. NaruSaku
1. Prologue

**I thank my Beta Reader** (in real life not online)**/friend "Ian Moone" for helping me with the story.**

This story will be an AU to the cannon storyline (since there's no telling how the Naruto series is going to take place/end). Celestial Winds will be a sequel to this story. It will show how Naruto and Sakura fall for each other leading all the way up to the birth of their first child, although there will be a slight time skip between certain points for example after Sasuke's trial (so the main story can be started) as well as a time skip to when Sakura is pregnant (which will be just two chapters of her most likely telling Naruto and the actual birth of their child). The story will also be displacing how Sasuke (who will be a part of the village again) has to redeem himself as a Leaf Shinobi as well as eventually falling in love with a OC character I'm making (which I'll try my utmost best to prevent on making a Mary sue so if I start doing that please let me know).

This particular prologue will be displaying the final fight between Naruto and Sasuke at the end of the Shinobi War so please enjoy :).

"blah" - talking

_"blah"_ - thoughts

_'blah'_**_ - _**Kurama

**I do not own Naruto or any of the **_**Naruto **_**franchise characters or settings created by Kishimoto Masashi and his team.**

**Prologue**

Naruto and Sasuke were looking at each in an area similar to the Final Valley. They were both standing in a lake that had a waterfall, which was of decent size, and a small forested area coming off of it. The area under the waterfall was also a small lake, but because of the fighting that had occurred in the Shinobi World War, it was barren. Overall, it gave them an ideal, clear area to finish their final battle. Naruto's previous battle had ended with the death of Tobi, with the help of Kurama and Sasuke, who had gotten some interesting news from his revived brother Itachi. Itachi told Sasuke the truth about Tobi just manipulating him along and that it was his decision and no one else's to eradicate all of the Uchiha clan. He explained to him how all the Uchiha were nothing more than fools for wanting nothing but power and were willing to put everyone in danger just in order to acquire it. Of course, this naturally angered Sasuke, but first, he went to go finish Tobi off once and for all and then, and only then, deal with Naruto. He still wanted his revenge on Konoha itself, even though his major problem was with the elders, he planned on burning the epic village to white ashes, while Itachi went off to go kill Kabuto.

The wind gently blew through the humid air, giving everything a calming effect, even though a catastrophic final battle was about to take place. Sasuke had given Naruto a day to rest up so he could fight at his full strength. He meditated for a while thinking about all his friends, and paying his mind special attention to Sakura, the girl he loved. He found it a little ironic how this battle will decide on what is going to happen in the future; whether or not he would ever truly end up becoming Hokage or if he would win the heart of Sakura. The sun then set high in the sky indicating it was noon, and that these two top-class Shinobi were preparing to face off.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with serious eyes that still showed the hatred for the village itself. But the village was merely a scapegoat of his malice because he mainly loathed Konoha's elders that forced his brother to sacrifice his clan for the sake of the village. He placed his hand on the cold steel handle of the Sword of Kusanagi with practiced accuracy, and proceeded to get into his fighting stance

"Alright Naruto, you've rested up. Now let's finish this battle." He pulled out his sword with purposeful idleness in an effort to show off the brilliantly luminescent blade. "I hope you've said bye to everyone, because I'll be sure to kill you before you can kill me"

Naruto sniggered a bit at Sasuke's comment as he got in his own fighting stance. "In your dreams Sasuke. I already told you that if you kill me, you'll die as well. I'm not going to let that happen though."

Sasuke smirked a bit as the wind began to falter. "If you think you can beat these eyes, then you're more pathetic then I thought _dobe_. Now enough talking, let's end this!"

Sasuke then quickly formed the chidori in his hand. Instead of charging at Naruto, he lashed out at his own hand, which made it turn into the chidori senbon, sending out countless lightning-like needles in every direction. Naruto hastily created three shadow clones. A thick, white column of smoke burst from the ground into the sky and indicated the arrival of Naruto's shadow clones. Naruto was promptly flung to the right by one of his clones, causing him to dodge the senbon while the clone took the hit for Naruto, disappearing instantaneously. While Naruto was in mid-air, he pulled out some shuriken and threw them at Sasuke with rehearsed precision.

As if on cue, Sasuke immediately saw the shuriken coming and used his sword to knock some of them to the hard ground where he believed one of them would be resting for eternity while managing to dodge the last of the shuriken. At the last possible second, two of the shuriken exploded in smoke and transformed back into the two remaining clones, one of which had a Rasengan in hand already. The free clone grabbed the other's arm and threw him at Sasuke, while the one being flung aimed the Rasengan at Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke quickly disposed of the clone by jumping to the left and punching the clone hard in the gut. He then hurriedly turned to Naruto and within almost an instant, appeared in front of Naruto. Sparks flashed every time their weapons clashed as they began trading blow for blow. They tried to best each other in Taijutsu; a kunai in Naruto's hand and Kusanagi in Sasuke's hand. Naruto's kunai and Sasuke's Kusanagi flew out of their respective hands as their weapons deadlocked. The two Shinobi both threw a punch at each other at the same time and with each of their free hands they ended up catching each of their attacks, which caused them to stand in a deadlock.

Sasuke sneered at Naruto while Naruto quickly used his strength to throw Sasuke into the air. While in mid-air, Sasuke formed hand signs at a staggering rate of incredible, almost blinding speed as he brought his fingers to his mouth. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu" A couple of huge, dragon shaped flames came hurling towards Naruto and licked at him. He managed to escape the first flame, but no manageable speed could have allotted him time to escape the heat of the second. An excruciating sensation of being burned came to existence on Naruto's left shoulder, leaving a charred, oblong shape on the black portion of his jacket and a little bit of the orange as well.

Naruto, painfully aware of his scathed shoulder, managed a small smile as Sasuke returned it with a look of cockiness. "I already told you once before Naruto. I'm on a whole different level than you."

"Yea Sasuke, you're WAAAAAY below me…" Naruto reproached defiantly, not wanting to pass up a chance to chide his opponent.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, shaking off Naruto's meaningless insult. "I'll admit, you've gotten stronger, but my eyes still surpass you. Why don't you just give up already, loser?"

Naruto immediately got serious as he was holding his already healing wound with his right hand. "When are you going to learn Sasuke? I don't run away, and I never go back on my word. Now, why can't you just give up on making me give up!"

Naruto lunged toward Sasuke and feigned a punch as he quickly dropped to the ground and initiated a leg sweep. He managed to trick Sasuke, and while Sasuke fell to the ground, Naruto took the opportunity to ax kick Sasuke in the stomach. Sasuke grunted from the force of Naruto's foot lodged in his gut, but then a puff of smoke left a log in his place.

Naruto immediately started looking around trying to figure out where Sasuke was at. He didn't know what was wrong, but something told him he should suddenly jump to the right. As he did so, some shuriken whirred past him, narrowly missing his head. Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto managing to slice across his chest, but it was only a flesh wound. Naruto growled in anger at Sasuke, but managed to keep his fury in check. Without warning, Naruto tackled Sasuke over the waterfall's crest and the two began to fight in midair. They wildly flailed, managing to land a few blows on the other, but then Sasuke's training kicked in and he expertly used Naruto's chest as leverage and pushed off of Naruto creating some distance. Naruto was still slightly angered at Sasuke's ability to get him with Kusanagi, but ignored it as he generated five shadow clones from the air.

Sasuke chuckled a bit "What's wrong Naruto; can't keep up? Are you going to give in to that monster Kyuubi inside of you like always?" Sasuke then reverse gripped Kusanagi and set a goal to go after the clones with his Sharingan activated.

Naruto smirked at the comment, since Sasuke clearly didn't know about him and Kurama coming to terms of agreement. Three of his clones headed to intercept Sasuke, while the other two clones disappeared quickly, attempting to get a little distance between themselves and Sasuke to start collecting Natural Energy. Naruto crossed his arms and he closed his eyes and followed suit with his clones and began to gather Natural Energy as well.

Sasuke quickly disposed of the first three clones with a couple of slashes from his weapon. He began to all but ignore the other two clones, but decided to keep his mind open, just in case they tried to make an attack from behind while he went for the original Naruto. Sasuke noticed his chakra was changing and figured it came from the Kyuubi, but he knew he could suppress it's chakra from Naruto so didn't worry about it.

Sasuke aimed to stab Naruto straight through the heart as Naruto opened his eyes. Sasuke barely noticed that the Jinchuuriki's eyes had changed into a frog like pupil including orange pigmentation around his eyes. Naruto snapped Kusanagi with the strength of Sage Mode, which surprised Sasuke, who, taken aback, fluidly jumped back to evade Naruto.

Sasuke glared slightly at Naruto and his new abilities. "I see you've learned a new technique Naruto. It won't matter; you still won't be able to touch me. As long as I have these eyes, I can read your moves like a scroll."

Sasuke charged at Naruto deciding to settle this with his fist since he believed he could avoid Naruto's attacks as well as counter his attacks. He started a combo and Naruto managed to block all of them then immediately switched to the offensive, to which Sasuke was blocking his attacks as well. Naruto then threw a punch that Sasuke had believed to dodge but he then suddenly felt a blow to his gut then he went flying back, rolling on the ground before he recovered and came skidding to a halt. He looked at Naruto in disbelief as the Jinchuuriki had his arms crossed while looking at Sasuke with his serious glare.

"How the hell were you able to do that? I know for a fact I dodged your attack yet I still got hit. I knew you had become faster, but you haven't become that fast." Sasuke said with a growl and evil glare. "Is this the power of the Kyuubi…or something else?"

Naruto just smiled a bit knowing the battle was far from over, and he could only hold Sage Mode for about eight minutes now. "No, this isn't the power of the Fox. This is something my master left to me. It's called Sage Mode; with this new technique it's kind of like the Sharingan in its own way. My endurance, speed, strength, Ninjutsu, and Taijutsu are greatly increased. I also have the ability to sense people's chakras. I may or may not also have the ability where I can sense the moves of my opponent…slightly."

Naruto held his palm out to the side as a clone instantaneously appeared next to him. The clone then formed the Rasengan in Naruto's hand. Sasuke noticed it was different by its chakra flow as well as its appearance and quickly reacted by forming the Chidori in his hand. Time slowed as the two prepared to hit each other with their signature jutsu.

Naruto smirked "Let me show you one of my new versions of the Rasengan, teme." In a flash, Naruto and Sasuke charged each other at the same speed.

Sasuke held out his hand, mimicking Naruto and then, the jutsu clashed. "Chidori!" "Wind Release: Rasengan!"

The two jutsu clashed, forming a powerful, spherical shockwave. Both Shinobi were struggling to overpower the other, but their strengths were matched evenly. The explosive force of the force sphere deteriorating caused them to be flung in opposite directions. The sheer force of the blast threw Naruto into the knee deep water and Sasuke into the rock hard ground. Naruto eventually came to the surface and then slowly stood on the water while Sasuke slowly stood his bruised body up; both of the fierce fighters were breathing significantly heavier than when they had begun, for their opponent had thrashed their respective energy stores.

The weather had changed again because of the on-going battle. Thunderclouds had rolled as lightning and thunder started coming forth. Some trees were on fire from Sasuke's previous fire jutsu. The wind was the only thing really unchanged, excluding how it picked up a little bit.

The rest of the Konoha 11 showed up, along with Kakashi and Gai. They stood at the top of the waterfall looking at the battle in awe. Sakura immediately went to try and go help Naruto, but Kakashi got in front of her, slowing her to a stop.

"Stop Sakura, You can't interfere with this battle. It's too big; even for you." He sighed helplessly and turned around. "It's not our place."

Sakura looked at Kakashi with a mixture of disbelief and anger. The same could be said for the rest of the Konoha 11. "But Kakashi Sensei, Naruto can't continue doing things on his own. We have to help him o-or…we both know what could happen. Don't you remember what Naruto had told Sasuke at the bridge?" Tears had begun to slowly roll down her cheek.

Kakashi looked at Sakura with slight sadness in his eyes and nodded a bit. "Yeah, I remember what Naruto had said to Sasuke…..but I have faith in my student…that won't happen. I believe instead that he will prevail in what he set his mind to. I think the only thing we can really do is believe and have faith in him, Sakura. Especially you since you know your opinion matters most to him."

The rest of the Konoha 11 were about to start arguing until Gai stepped next to Kakashi giving them his serious look. "Kakashi's right even though I hate to admit that to my eternal rival. I agree that we should help, but Naruto has grown and changed since the start of this war. I believe he's the only one that can handle Sasuke at the moment and we'd just be getting in the way. The good thing about Naruto though is that he'll go past those limits as long as we have faith in him and knows we have faith in him. If worst comes to worst we'll be here to help him." They all reluctantly agreed to both Kakashi and Gai

Sasuke looked at Naruto, a little injured from the clash but overall ignored it "I'll admit Naruto that new jutsu is very tough to beat. I had to put more power into my Chidori since it was stronger than your original Rasengan…." He then stood up straight "but that still won't make a difference in the end. I haven't even begun to unless my full power"

Sasuke smirked a bit until he saw two Shadow Clones appear next to Naruto, whom was holding his palm out in front of him. He noticed how one clone stood their forming the shell while the other was gathering the chakra. His eyes grew a little wide when he saw Naruto's finally product. The Avenger instantly got on top of a big rock formation and raised his hand in the hair as lightning formed around it. The Lightning from the clouds gathered around him as the thunderclouds started slowing disappearing. This caused Naruto to look surprised as well.

Sasuke smirked a bit "The sad part is before you can even touch me with that new Rasengan of yours, my Kirin will have hit you instantly before you reach me. It's a shame you have to be near me to actually hit me Naruto. Now be gone with the thunderclap!" He then brought his hand down. This caused Kirin to roar and head towards at an blinding speeds

Naruto saw the jutsu coming at him and without a second guess threw it straight at Kirin. This naturally surprised Sasuke greatly, since he didn't know his former best friend would be able to throw a jutsu with that much power as well as maintain it. The Rasen-Shuriken headed straight for the creature like thing made of lightning. It interacted with it and for a while they were clashing with each other but the wind element in Naruto's jutsu eventually won and managed to break Sasuke's Kirin. The Rasen-Shuriken expanded immensely as it covered lightning creature creating a bright light in the sky with some lightning coming out of it. The explosion then vanished after a few seconds.

Naruto was breathing a little heavily, since he was fighting in Sage Mode for a while now. He barely managed to dispel both his clones to give him more chakra for the Rasen-Shuriken in an attempt to finish Sasuke, but under the circumstances had to change tactics because of the powerful technique used by Sasuke. He looked at Sasuke with his normal cerulean eyes smirking a bit.

Sasuke was angered at the fact that Naruto was able to counteract his jutsu as he glared at the Jinchuuriki. He then noticed that Naruto was back to normal which he knew he could take advantage of. Sasuke then closed his eyes for a while getting ready for his next move.

"You know Naruto, I would have never expected you to get this far but it will be the end. It's time to unleash my full power upon you….." He slowly opened his eyes showing his Sharingan had changed forms and was now his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan "with the gift given to me from my brothers eyes. It's obvious you're out of chakra. I guess that new technique was your trump card….too bad this is the toughest fight I've ever had to endure."

Naruto still was breathing heavily as he smiled a bit because of some recognition from Sasuke as well as how Sasuke believed Sage Mode was his final trump card. "You….got to stop underestimating me….Sasuke" Naruto closed his eyes as well as he thought _"Alright Kurama lets show him our power together"_

Kurama smirked a bit at Naruto's comment '_It's about time kid, I've been itching for a fight especially at how powerful your friend has become. Don't expect it to be easy though. That annoying Sharingan can be a huge problem if not handled correctly'_

"Hn" Susanoo then appeared around Sasuke as the creature got its arrow ready to fire upon Naruto.

The arrow was shot and started heading towards Naruto at blinding speeds. When it reached its destination there was a huge splash of water, and after it cleared up nothing was left standing there. Sasuke smiled evilly as he believed Naruto to be dead until Susanoo was suddenly punched from behind and in fact was pushed to the side along with Sasuke as well. Sasuke growled as he turned his head and saw a yellow flaming Naruto with orange colored eyes, his whisker marks extremely defined, and with a flapping chakra like coat that had nine tail like ends.

Naruto looked at Sasuke seriously "If you think I was going to give up think again Teme."

Sasuke just growled some more "Just accept your fate already!" He then quickly got up as he charged at Naruto

Naruto started heading towards Sasuke when Kurama appeared in his few form as well and went after Susanoo. The Konoha 11 and the two Jonin ninja watched with awe at the intensity of the battle that was going on. Sakura was surprised more than the other at how strong Naruto had become as well as Sasuke. She in fact was very proud and a little infatuated with him.

Kakashi looked at his eternal rival "It kind of reminds you of the stories we have heard about our First Hokage against Madara Uchiha doesn't it? We should get to a safer location. If things continue the way they are Naruto will go all out which means he possibly will use the Tailed Beast Ball" All Gai could do was nod in agreement as he motioned for the Rookie 11 to follow him to a safer distance along with Kakashi.

Naruto and Sasuke were looking at each other and were breathing heavily once again from the length of the battle that was taking place. Kurama and Susanoo were both right next to their partners waiting for the next move.

Sasuke glared a little at Naruto "It seems my chakra is just about out and from what I can tell so is yours at least what that damned monster let you use." He stood up a little straighter "Alright, I only have enough chakra for two moves. I'll admit so this will be my final attack." He then formed the chidori in his hand as Susanoo brought up the ball of the Amaterasu getting ready to release the last of the flames in an arrow like shot.

"Yea your right I only have a little chakra left as well. I wonder what will happen after our final attacks." Naruto just curved his lips a bit as he formed the Rasengan in his hand along with Kurama forming the Tailed Beast Ball in his mouth

They both then charged at each other as Kurama and Susanoo. When all four jutsu clashed it created a huge explosion that was like no other. The winds and shockwave from the explosion was so massive it destroyed all of the body of water making it evaporate into nothing. Naruto and Sasuke were safe for the most part since their jutsu clash formed a protective shell around them because of the chakra being used. The sheer power and force of the clash was protecting them as well, although it was slowly starting to deteriorate. The two top class shinobi were grinding their teeth together as an effect from the burning like feeling coming from the outside force along with them trying to overpower the other

The jutsu clash reached it's peak when an explosion that brought sheer power from it's shockwaves finally happened. It ended in a blinding light which could be seen from Konoha 11's safe location as well as a good amount of shinobi that were still in battle against the remaining enemy force. The Konoha 11 quickly went to go see the victor, although Sakura was scared to the core to find them both dead.

When they arrived at the area where the battle took place they noticed nothing was left as it once was. They were surprised at the strength the two Shinobi possessed and without a second thought went to go look for Naruto. They located both Naruto and Sasuke with the help of the Neji and Hinata's Byakugan. The two Shinobi were on the ground not moving at all. Neji saw barely any chakra left,but immense chakra exhaustion as well as slight breathing.

Sakura faced Ino and Hinata with a serious look "You two go heal Sasuke and I'll deal with Naruto." She noticed the two girls were hesitant to heal the traitor as well as her other friend, but the two kunoichi reluctantly agreed to it. The three medic ninjas quickly began healing the two Shinobi.

After a few hours they managed to put them in a more stable condition but would still die if not treated at a hospital. Kiba ended up carrying Hinata, while Lee carried Sakura and Shikamaru to Ino. Kakashi picked up Naruto while Guy took up Sasuke. They both looked at the young ninja and nodded as they headed back home as quickly as possible. Something that was unknown to them was that Naruto and Sasuke were talking to each other within their subconscious like universal world. They were seeing what was in their hearts once more.

**That is the end of the Prologue. I hope anyone who read it enjoyed it. Please review this story. I take both good and bad criticism, although I will ignore spam and flames. If I get enough reviews I'll post the next chapter when I get the time to finish it. Thank you ^^**


	2. Author's Notice

Hey everyone I'm sorry that the next chapter is taking so long. My USB drive has gone missing and that had everything I had written down which includes actual chapters 1-3 so in turn I have to rewrite everything unless I find my USB drive. If anything I should have at least 1 or more chapters up before the end of the month. Again I apologize for this inconvenience and I hope everyone will be patient with me when it comes to at least Chapter 1


	3. Chapter 1: Decisions

I'm really sorry about losing my USB drive everyone, which kept you all waiting. After this chapter I plan on introducing my OC character so please let me know if she seems too much of a mary sue because I want to stay away from that as much as possible. As for the chapters some may have names other may be called just like Chapter 1 depends if I can think of a good title name or not. Now, without further ado, back to the story ^^.

I thank **SuperNeos2**,** raidersfan777**, **charles cdv**, **Darkryus**, **dbzgtfan2004**, and** bbarbie325 **for reviewing. :)

A small time skip has occurred here. Naruto and Sasuke have been in the hospital for a total of about a week. Naruto just got released the day before so he's out doing his own thing.

**I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto franchise characters or settings created by Kishimoto Masashi. **

Chapter 1: Decisions

A soft wind gently blew through the window, moving the sky blue curtains ever so slightly. The Sun had yet to rise, and the horizon was just beginning to become tinged with oranges, purples, and yellows, signaling the start of a new day. Sasuke studied the ceiling of the hospital, which had begun to flake with age. He laid there, thinking about his subconscious conversation with Naruto and his luck at not having died from going so far past his limit in the epic battle that had taken place. Naruto had told him they were both very lucky to have survived, and it was thanks to their sheer power of will, and of course Sakura, Hinata, and Ino healing the two of them as they made the trek back to the hospital.

Sasuke tried to sit up, but the pain was too great and he laid back down. Though he had sat up for a mere six seconds, it was a hug improvement from the day before, and he smiled inwardly at himself. He grunted harshly, wishing he could just get out of bed and walk around, but knew that would be impossible with all the Anbu stationed around him to keep him in check. Sasuke smirked marginally as he realized that he could quite easily determine their presence, way better than he had been able to as a Genin.

He contemplated the battle, knowing that doing so would calm him down, as it had already done countless times before. His rage and hatred was still to a great extent, but he had succeeded in calming himself enough to actually listen to what Naruto had told him.

**Flashback**

The two Shinobi looked at each other in their subconscious world; Naruto, of course, was wearing his stupid smile, and Sasuke glared back at him. Their battle had ended differently than either had expected. Their jutsu clash had barely missed taking their lives and the only thing credited to leaving them alive was a protective shell, created by the collision of the Rasengan and Chidori. At that moment, they didn't know they were on the verge of death. The two ninja only knew they were looking into each other's hearts once again.

"It seems I've been coming around here a lot lately." Naruto said with joking tone. He looked at Sasuke still smiling. "You know I met my mother in here. I also met my father, but…it was different than this. I can say I almost pretty much understand how you felt when you lost everything. My parents were taken away as well not just by the Kyuubi, but Tobi as well."

Sasuke became enraged at Naruto's words "Is that supposed to change everything Naruto? I already told you that you will never be able to understand me. Just get it through that thick skull of yours already!"

Naruto sighed, genuinely surprised. "I figured you'd say as much, but I am able to understand more. When I learned Ero-Sennin was killed by Pain…I wanted to just destroy everything; especially the one who caused my pain. That's what I set out to do. He was my father figure; even if you don't think as much." He began to study the star studded floor intently. "I would have become like you if I gave into that hate, but something stopped me…." He then looked up smiling his toothy grin "I met my father and he told me he believed in me. He said that he had faith that I could overcome that hatred. Jairya had that same faith in me; enough to even find the answer for peace if he ever passed away."

Sasuke growled at Naruto. He didn't know what he was growling at more; the fact that he believed Naruto so incompetent that he was actually listening to him, or that the words Naruto said were true, and began to change his own outlook on life. But he stopped himself in defiance. "That doesn't make a difference Naruto. I already told you that I can't change"

Naruto put his hands behind his head and began trying to seek out the proper words for the situation. "You can always change if you choose to. I learned another important thing as well. It's not about me though, it's actually about you."

Sasuke tried to keep up his steely demeanor, yet his curiosity proved too much, and his curiosity got the best of him. Even worse, Naruto noticed it. "Your brother Sasuke….he believed and had faith in you as well. I could tell that the moment I met him, and happened to free him from Kabuto's control. He told me that he wished for you to live a happy life. In order to do that, he had to make himself look like the enemy. I'm sure he's already told you his story, and he was definitely a true ninja. I'd like to tell the Hokage, but I promised Itachi I'd never speak of it. You were supposed to be the light that brought the Uchiha name out of the darkness, and you still can be."

Sasuke's eyes began to widen in self-realization, but he didn't want to give up his way of life; it was all he knew now. "That's exactly why I have to destroy Konohagakure. They get their pleasure out of my brother's death, and his pain"

Naruto shook his head. "You're wrong Sasuke. Your brother has happiness because the village has happiness. He can't really be happy, or put to rest, until you learn to let go. He killed your clan, and with it, brought an alternative fate to them….he set them free of the curse of hatred. They can now live in the afterlife happily. I believe your clan was happy to be free of that curse. I also believe that they, as well as your brother, believed you could overcome hatred and start anew. You can revive the Uchiha clan and start a clan of happiness and peace, not hatred and sorrow. I can help you get justice over what was done. I'm sure Tsunade would help right the wrongs of the past. It may take a while, but with me by your side, a brother and best friend, anything's possible."

Naruto held his hand out to Sasuke. "So what do you say Sasuke? Do you want to put your revenge to rest, and live like your family wants you to? Or do you want to continue down this path of destruction, and put yourself further away from salvation?"

**End Flashback **

Sasuke smiled warmly at those last words. He had done quite a lot of thinking while in the hospital, and finally gave in. He would at least try Naruto's proposal, after all, all of the things Naruto had said were true, even in the slightest. After his talk with Naruto, a bright shining light had emerged on the horizon of his subconscious world and there stood his parents along with his brother, Itachi. They knew that overthrowing the village had been wrong, once entering the afterlife, and they pleaded with Sasuke for forgiveness, for they had not meant to hurt him by doing this. Itachi stood next to his parents, and just nodded, all the while wearing a sincere grin that had so rarely crossed his face in the real world. As Sasuke began to drift back to the Shinobi world, he had reached out and poked Sasuke in the forehead, laughing as he did so.

The room in which Naruto stood had a musty odor to it; as if it had been neglected in its cleaning over the years. Naruto stood, defending his friend against the council, which included the Hokage, the Elders, and the major clans of the village. His head began to heat up with frustration and anxiety, but he was a master at keeping his temper under control at certain times for the most part. His persuasiveness and stubbornness were fully accountable for getting him as far as he had with the council.

"Come on Tsunde-sama, Sasuke killing Orochimaru and Tobi has to count for something!" Naruto spat, annoyed as he looked directly at the Hokage

A gentle smile crossed Tsunade's face for a brevity; she found it funny when Naruto got serious or he was formal, as it was not in his nature. The smile ceased to exist, and she was brought back to the real world. "It doesn't matter; he betrayed the village Naruto. Sasuke joined Akatsuki and planned to destroy Konoha." The elders and some clan leaders nodded their heads like frightened sheep in agreement.

Koharu looked at Naruto. "The traitor should be executed for his crimes and actions. Who's to say that he just won't turn on us when we let our guard down?"

Homura gave Naruto a stern look, filled with the wisdom of his years. "Just because he's your friend, and he did some deeds that helped the village doesn't mean he's not a traitor." This, too, got the attention of some of the clan leaders who agreed, and again, nodded their heads.

Naruto just growled as he looked at the two elders. They were also the cause of the Uchiha Massacre for they had sided with the traitor Danzo. "You two shouldn't be able to talk!" he snarled, "Last I checked, you two were friends with Danzo. That man tried betraying Konoha many times. He first started with the Uchiha Massacre. Then, he made Sai give Orochimaru information at Tenchi Bridge, which could have very well brought Konoha to its knees. Sai went as far as to tell me that no other Anbu Roots, excluding him, were even at the Invasion of Pain. I wouldn't put it past that traitor if he told them to not get involved in the fight."

Naruto gave a steely stare to the elders, as some of the Council members were surprised at the news which included Tsunade. "Now if you want to go about being afraid of something that could destroy the village, I suggest you two shut your mouths. I remember how you two, as well as Danzo, likely played a significant part on how my childhood occurred. You two also viewed me as a monster, and treated me as such. I heard the council tried to restrict my movements as a claim to protect me, when in fact you two probably wanted me to not go berserk or something. Well I have news for the both of you; I saved this village three times already. The first was Orchimaru's invasion where I had to stop Shukaku from destroying the village. Next was the Invasion of Pain, where I single handedly defeated Pain. Finally, we have the Fourth Shinobi World War. A lot of Konoha's precious ninja would have been dead if I had not saved them. I'm sure you can ask some of the council members whose children I saved. I went onto to defeat Tobi with the help of Sasuke, Kakashi, Guy, and Killer Bee."

He let out a breath after he finished talking. "I say you give him a chance; all of you. Everyone deserves a second chance and if we kill him, it's just letting the hatred that all of you who chose to go forth with the death of the Uchiha win. He does have a right to be mad at this, because it was his family, no matter what they're actions were. If you want someone to guard him let it be me, since I'm the one that can watch him better than any Anbu."

Naruto looked at the elders. "I also suggest that it's time for you two to step down from the council. Unless you can change how things should be viewed in order to come a step closer to peace, then you two need to step down. As of now, your views hinder the village, and I'm sorry if I'm out of line for saying that. I do admit, you two have done a lot for the village, but it wasn't those decisions that really helped our village prosper. It was the previous Hokage's choices. I also ask these things as a favor as the son of the Fourth Hokage…."

Some of the Council looked at Naruto wide eyed since they didn't know the truth. Tsunade smiled at how Naruto went along with this meeting, and even enjoyed the glares that the two elders had given him. She noticed how the clan leaders were whispering fervently amongst themselves. She knew Naruto had favor over the stronger clans of the village, especially the Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Akamichi, Nara, Yamanaka, and Aburame.

Tsunade looked at Naruto then at the Council and nodded. "Alright; let us discuss the decision of Sasuke Uchiha"

The Council left the room to discuss the decision as Kakashi and Yamato solemnly walked over to Naruto, patting him on the shoulder for the great job he had done. The council stayed outside the room for quite a while. Naruto, never the one to be patient, started getting extremely annoyed.

"Hey Kakashi-Sensei can I go get some ramen? I highly doubt those council members and Tsunade-bachan will be back anytime soon." Naruto let out a breath of hunger and eagerness.

Kakashi just sighed at how Naruto could act so mature then automatically switch back to his own immature personality, yet he was proud of him nonetheless. The answer to Naruto's question was just about to breach his lips when the Council entered the room once again, and took their seats. He could tell that Koharu and Homura didn't look so happy.

Tsunade looked at Naruto lugubriously. "We have decided to let the Uchiha live. He will have you as a guard for five years, during which time he will not be able to take any mission that exceeds a C-rank. He will also be unable to leave the village for six months, during which time he will be forced to live with you. His council status as well as Uchiha assets will not be reinstated until he has actually gotten married to a woman, whom he genuinely loves. If he fails to agree to these conditions, Sasuke will go to jail for the rest of his life. If he tries betraying us again, he will be put to death. Our two elders have also agreed in how Danzo's views endangered the village instead of helped it. Though they have decided to maintain their views, they have agreed to hold less influence over the village. Is that clear Naruto?"

Naruto smiled as he punched his fist into his other hand, making a sickening smacking sound. "I'll make him agree; even if he doesn't want to."

Tsunade just shook her head as she smiled. "Alright then, you will also be getting A-rank pay every two weeks along with whatever missions you and Sasuke take considering you will be watching a former S-Class Criminal. The meeting is now over. Dismissed!"

Everyone got up and briskly walked out of the building. Naruto gave his toothy grin to his friends and was laughing at his ability to win the favor of the council. He put his hands behind his head, thinking that he should go tell Sakura the news. Plus, maybe he could get Sasuke and her to go with him to Ichiraku's Ramen to get something to eat… he was starving after all. He decided to go tell Sasuke the news, since it was he that the news was about.

Sasuke was lying in bed, still studying the ceiling tiles out of boredom when he heard someone walk in. He turned, saw it was only Naruto, and looked back up at the ceiling, hoping to ignore Naruto, which he discovered was quite impossible. Naruto walked over the hospital bed and sat down in the chair that was next to it.

"Hey Sasuke just came back from the meeting with the council… a decision has been made." Sasuke's interest piqued when he heard that, and his eyes moved immediately to Naruto, who was giving him a serious look.

"Well tell me what they decided already, dobe." Sasuke growled a little with impatience, seeing as he wanted to know what his fate would be. His eyes grew wide as Naruto's head sunk down and began to shake, back and forth. His heart began to pump faster, and he swallowed dry spit, as Naruto laughed.

Naruto just broke out in a grin at Sasuke's look. "They decided to let you live and even eventually become a full fledge Shinobi of Konoha, under certain conditions of course."

Sasuke glared at Naruto with annoyance knowing he probably wouldn't like the conditions, plus he didn't like Naruto's smug grin at the moment nor did he like the fact that Naruto had just chided him. "Just tell me what they are already Naruto!"

Naruto just laughed a bit. "Alright, clam down already Sasuke. We don't need you having a heart attack over your impatience."

Sasuke grunted in agreement at his snide comment. "Anyways, they said that you are to be under probation for a total of five years. The first six months you're not allowed to leave the village. Once those six months are up you can only get missions up to a C-rank. In order to be on the council again, as well as have all of your clan assets, you must get married and actually love this girl in order to be considered a clan again. If you don't' agree with these conditions you will be set to jail for life. Oh, by the way; if you try betraying us one more time you will be put to death. The best part is for those first six months of probation you get to live with me"

Sasuke's eyes grew wide at the last part. He quickly looked at Naruto who was giving his fox like smile. "That punishment is worst then jail or death itself. Damn Hokage must want to torture me if she's making me live with you for six months"

Naruto got irritated at the comment. "Hey I'm not that bad Uchiha! I'd beat you to a pulp right now for saying those words, but it would be unfair considering you're already injured."

"Tch, whatever, dobe. I agree to those terms, even if I don't' like the last one" Sasuke said, as he looked back up at the ceiling.

Naruto had grown more frustrated at Sasuke's comment. "Teme, I'm going to make you show me respect; especially to the future Hokage"

The two of them continued arguing until Sakura walked in. She wondered at the thought of how these two ninja who were trying to tear each other's throats out mere days before could be so caught up in an immature squabble. She wasn't too surprised though, since they seem to only really communicate through some sort of fighting as far as she knew. Sakura walked over to Naruto and hit him on the back of the head, causing him to hold his new injury and looked at Sakura.

"Owww, Sakura-chan that wasn't very nice." Naruto said in his whiney voice, while Sasuke just smirked a bit at the action

Sakura looked at Sasuke with annoyance as well. "Don't feel too smug there Sasuke. I'd do the same to you if you weren't injured right now."

Naruto secretly stuck his tongue at Sasuke, who grunted. Naruto then looked at Sakura smiling. He was glad he didn't have to go find her to ask her if she wanted to get something to eat with him and Sasuke.

"Hey Sakura-chan, can you heal Sasuke so he can eat ? I want to go eat some ramen with the two of you and also to tell you the decision on Sasuke." Naruto said in an eager yet polite tone.

Sakura looked at Sasuke then at Naruto. She sighed a bit since she still didn't fully trust Sasuke anymore let alone love him. The only reason she wasn't pounding him right now was because Naruto trusted him and Naruto deserved her trust at the very least. She did make a mental note to talk to Sasuke about her views of him as well as their position on their now friendship.

Sakura sighed again in defeat this time. "Alright I'll do it, but if Tsunade gets mad you're taking all the blame Naruto."

Naruto just smiled and did a silent victory shout as he looked at Sasuke nodding. When Sakura finished Sasuke was able to stand and walk but he was still very sore and bruised from the battle. Naruto slapped him on the back playfully, completely oblivious to Sasuke's injuries still, which caused Sasuke to wince at the searing pain that shot up and down his back.

"Alright let's to go Ichiraku's, and don't worry Sasuke I'm paying for everyone. I got a big bonus from that war and of course from defeating Pain. I've been saving up my money, so I should have more than enough." His stomach growled loudly to which he laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his head "Well let's go eat guys"

Sakura just shook her head at Naruto's childish antics, but was happy and proud of him nonetheless. Sasuke just groaned, and he glared at Naruto for his pervious action.

"I can't believe I'm going to have to live with him for six months straight. Kami have mercy on me." Sasuke muttered aloud.

The sun's glowing rays fell on the trio as they headed for Ichiraku Ramen to enjoy a surprise celebration dinner being paid by Naruto.

**End of Chapter 1. I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please R&R (read and review for those who don't know) and if enough reviews a new chapter shall be put up as soon as possible. Again I accept good and bad criticism but NO spam or flames. It all helps me improve as a writer either way.**


	4. Chapter 2: New Friends New Enemies

Hey guys I'm back for now. Sorry I haven't updated soon. I've been having to study for finals and take those finals plus I've had events from other activites going on. Sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the other ones. My beta reader and I haven't had much time to fix the mistakes although we will go back and fix anything after finals are over.

I'd like to thank **Dark Kyuubi**, **RomanceGirlXXTsundereLuverxxX**, **butterflyV**, **Anon**, **SuperNeos2**, and **raidersfan777** for reviwing my last chapter. It helps a lot to get feedback.

Dark Kyuubi - Thanks and I'll update as soon as possible especially since school is almost out.

**RomancGirlXXTsundereLuverxxX** - Yea same here. I like the storys that let Sasuke live even though he's done a lot of wrong especially one's with a Team 7 bond.

**butterflyV** - Thanks and sorry there isn't going to be a sasuhina story. The way I see it is that Sasuke would never really have a chance with any of the girls from the Naruto universe. I'm going to be pairing Hinata with Kiba, although as you will read I will be pairing Sasuke with an OC character since to me it makes more sense.

**Anon - **XD same here although Sasuke will be putting Naruto through some tourture as well :)

**SuperNeos2** - Yep Sasuke will definetly need prayers although makes for some good comic relife XD

**raidersfan777 - **Thanks! I'll try updating faster although things might slow down :/ I'm not sure how busy my friend is going to be in the summer so let's hope for the best.

I will be presenting my OC character in this chapter. Again I will try and refrain to the best of my ability of making her a mary sue. If I start doing that please tell me or give me suggestions to keep that from happening.

**I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto franchise characters or settings created by Kishimoto Masashi. **

Chapter 2: New Friends/New Enemies

The trio arrived at the street Ichiraku's was located on a few minutes later. The sun was already setting bringing the temperature to nicer conditions. The wind had died down for the most part save the occasional soft breeze. Ichiraku's had changed a bit since the start of the war. It still had the sheets covering the entrance although it was a little bigger and was more comparable to a small restaurant instead of a stand, yet quite not there. This of course only meant more business for Teuchi as well as hiring a new waitress.

Team 7 walked into Ichiraku's Ramen and sat down. Naruto of course was excited since it was his favorite food. The one of the main reasons why Sasuke or Sakura for that matter even agreed was because Naruto was paying for it. Naruto had noticed that a good amount of customers had left though once they entered. He saw the hateful eyes they were giving in his general direction, but notice it wasn't for him yet Sasuke. He also could sense the Anbu waiting outside in secret locations just in case the Uchiha decided to make the wrong move.

Sasuke suspected as much since he was feared and hated because of his actions. He didn't fully blame them, yet didn't like the feeling of being watched with every step he took. The Uchiha ignored it for now by pushing those thoughts aside when he saw Teuchi and Ayame walk up. They both gave Naruto big smiles, since he was their favorite customer and dear friend all rolled up into one.

"Hi Old Man and Ayame-chan. I hope you're both having a great day and are prepared to fill up a big order because this one is on me." He laughed happily then smiled at them both.

Teuchi gave a light hearted laugh "Hello to you as well Naruto. We're doing great and of course we're always ready to fill up a big order especially to our favorite customer."

Ayame giggled at Naruto's childish ways "Hi Naruto and thanks for asking. Oh I thought you two…." She noticed Sasuke and the stories about him and for a while was about to give him a glare but seeing as he was with Naruto decided to trust in Konoha's Hero. "um three should know we hired a new waitress a week ago. She's about your age and actually moved in from a different village. I hope you three can be friends with her, and she'll be taking your orders today as well as serving you. We're trying to get her used to her new job."

Sakura smiled at Ayame "Sure, that's perfectly fine with us and I'm sure Naruto wouldn't mind making another friend."

Naruto laughed a bit nervously but nodded in agreement. "Yea! I love making new friends and I'm sure she's awesome because I doubt you two would higher just anybody." He then looked at Sasuke then back at Ayame as he whispered in a tone that was a little too loud "although you might want to warn her about Sasuke. Some people get intimidated when they first meet him usually."

Sasuke heard Naruto and glared at him "If anything people get intimidated by you and your annoying personality dobe"

The two boys were about to start arguing, but before it escalated Sakura stopped them both as she looked at Ayame signaling she'd do her best to keep the two under control. She reinforced this but popping her knuckles a bit, which sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.

Ayame laughed a bit and nodded her thanks to Sakura. Teuchi along with his daughter went into the back to go fetch the new waitress. They had explained to her that the blonde hair kid was the hero of Konoha as well as their number one customer. The pink haired girl was the apprentice of the Hokage as well as Naruto's secret love, so she wouldn't get her hopes up about him, considering he doesn't notice any girl except Sakura. Finally, they told her about Sasuke. They tried their best to keep him from sounding too horrible but had to tell her that he did betray them and why he did it. They also went to explain that Naruto had brought him back and apparently Sasuke decided to stay this time. The girl nodded a bit shyly since she was going to be serving two heroes of Konoha as well as a previous traitor of a famous clan.

The new waitress walked out from the back and saw that Naruto was engaged with his two friends. Sakura was responding every so often while Sasuke kept quiet excluding the occasional short answer or grunt. She noticed right away how handsome both Naruto and Sasuke were but could see as to why Naruto liked his pink haired teammate. She didn't let it bother her though since she was shy to really talk to a guy on a relationship level but could make a good conversation if she thought of the guy as just a friend. She then started walking over putting on a smile trying to be as confident as possible around the three famous Shinobi.

"And that's why I decided to eat more vegetables and healthy foods." Naruto smiled a bit since he was explaining meeting his mother for the first time and his new decision to eat healthier since it was his mother's wish.

Naruto noticed a beautiful, fair skinned girl with striking blue-green eyes and waist length light brown hair that was held back by a makeshift bandana like Ayame. He figured it was the new waitress standing on the other side of the counter giving a shy smile. He gave her a big smile while Sakura smiled gently, which made her feel a little more confident. Sasuke looked at her with a calm emotionless look like he usually did. The Uchiha did notice how beautiful the young woman was but quickly shook the thought from his mind.

"Hi you must be the new waitress the Old Man and Ayame-chan were talking about! It's nice to meet you and I hope we can be friends. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." He held out his head which the girl shook nervously because of the blonde Jinchuuriki's enthusiasm.

Sakura sighed a bit and lightly bopped Naruto on the head "Chill Naruto or you're going to scare her." She then turned her gaze to the waitress "It's really nice to meet you as well. I'm Sakura Haruno. If you want I can introduce you to the other girls later."

The brunette felt more confident as she nodded and smiled a bit more and shook Naruto's hand, although was surprised at how quickly Sakura had kept him in control. She looked at Sasuke feeling slightly afraid of him but was never one to really judge especially since she was new to the village. The waitress knew what it was like to be judged by people, but quickly shook that dark thought from her mind.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha….nice to meet you" Sasuke's expression became slightly more soft but it quickly went back to its emotionless self.

Naruto was a little surprised at how Sasuke greeted her considering he just greeted most people even new people with a simple 'Hn' or 'Hey'. He ignored it for the time being as his stomach was on the verge of growling

The waitress looked at the three and bowed in respect "I'm Aya Kimura and it's a pleasure to meet you three. I also hope we can be friends and I'd like to meet the other girls you're talking about Sakura."

Naruto laughed a bit in triumph "Yea, when you're not working or if we're not on a mission we can hang out." His stomach then growled a bit automatically made him laugh nervously and rub the back of his head. "Sorry about that I didn't eat lunch"

Aya giggled a bit as she shook her head "No, it's ok that's why I'm here. What can I get you three to order?"

Sakura was afraid that Aya didn't know how much Naruto could eat but shrugged it off for now. "I'll have one medium sized shrimp ramen please"

Aya nodded as she looked at Sasuke surprising keeping her gaze on his instead of feeling afraid and looking away. "Give me a large Pork Ramen"

She wrote down the order then looked at Naruto who had a gigantic smile on his face, yet also seemed to be getting impatient since he was the last one to order. He then took in a deep breath something which Aya didn't expect at all.

"I'll have ten large bowels of Miso Ramen along with five large bowels of pork ramen. Finally to top it off, I'll also take five medium bowels of shrimp ramen oh and if you have any dishes that mainly consist of vegetables I'll also take five servings of that" He then looked at both Sakura and Sasuke, who had sighed at the same time.

Naruto titled his head a bit confused at their actions "What? I promised my mother I'd start eating more vegetables and I don't break promises!"

Aya was at the very least surprised at everything that Naruto ordered and wondered how he kept his form by eating all the food. She quickly understood why the blond haired Jinchuuriki was Teuchi's favorite customer and mentally laughed at it. Aya quickly wrote everything that Naruto as well as both Sasuke and Sakura had ordered and bowed a bit.

"I'll be right back with your order." She turned and went into the kitchen to start cooking since she was also to be a cook at Ichiraku's.

Sasuke had discreetly watched Aya leave then looked at Naruto who was studying him a little more closer then what he would have liked. Sasuke eventually pushed Naruto back to keep his personal space and ignored the blonde idiot who got frustrated at Sasuke's actions.

"You know Sasuke in all the time I've been a part of Team 7 I have never seen you speak so many words to a new person. You must've changed more than I thought huh?" Naruto was still giving a thinking pose while looking at Sasuke, who just glared daggers at him.

"No one asked for your opinion dobe so drop it" Sasuke then crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he waited for the food to return.

"Tch, whatever teme be your grumpy old self. It doesn't bug me" He then looked at Sakura smiling a bit "So what do you think of Aya, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura thought a bit at Naruto's question. "Hmmm well she seems very nice, although it also seem like she doesn't really have confidence in herself at first but that's just a guess. I have to give her credit for not being intimidated by your friendly personality or Sasuke's emotionless attitude. I can't really make a judgment call until I get to know her more." She said as she looked at Naruto "What about you?"

Naruto scratched his chin a bit as he thought "She seems really nice and I bet she's way more interesting once we get to know her more. I wonder about her shyness though. It might be because of something that happened in her past or from where she came. Did you notice how she didn't really judge Sasuke right away? I could tell at first she did but she quickly changed those thoughts as if she was thinking of something bad. I bet something happened in her past to cause her not to be hostile at Sasuke until she actually gets to know him"

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Naruto in a little awe at his sage like words, especially since he really didn't usually use words of wisdom unless it was something really important. Sakura leaned back a bit to look at Sasuke, whom had opened his eyes.

"What about you Sasuke what do you think?" She asked him with curiosity in her voice.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know her enough to make a call." He then returned to closing his eyes and went back to his own thoughts.

Aya returned with both Sasuke and Sakura's bowels since they only had one. She then brought a tray stacked with majority of Naruto's food, and then she brought in the rest. The waitress placed the ticket in front of Naruto, since Teuchi had told her that the blonde haired ninja would be paying for it. Naruto quickly got some chopsticks along with his two teammates and said a loud 'Itadakimasu', while Sakura and Sasuke said a quiet one.

Naruto quickly finished two of the large bowls of Miso Ramen then stopped for a bit since he noticed something different in the taste. He gave a thoughtful look then smiled and continued eating even faster than before. Aya was really impressed that someone was eating her cooking that fast, but nonetheless gave a proud small smile. When the three finished Naruto quickly paid for the bill covering all the expenses then he looked at Aya.

"Wow that was amazing! It tastes even better. Did the Old Man or Ayame-chan add something to it?" Naruto asked with a childish eagerness curiosity in his voice.

Aya blushed a bit from the praise, although was very proud of the compliment while she shook her head a bit. "No…..actually I asked them if I could add something extra when I cooked it. They said it tasted even better plus it's also healthier, so that's part of the reason as to why I was serving you three. It was to see if their favorite customer would like the way ramen will be made from here on out. I'm glad you like it."

Naruto laughed "Like it? I love it! You're an amazing cook Aya-chan. You're definitely going to make an amazing wife to some guy some day!"

Aya automatically blushed at the compliment. Sakura hit Naruto in the back of the head, while Sasuke muttered 'idiot' under his breath. Naruto looked at Sakura not sure what he really did wrong and looked to Sasuke for advice to which he just received an annoyed look from.

"What was that for Sakura-chaaaan?" He cried in his whiney voice which just made Sasuke groan a bit.

"You're embarrassing the poor girl Naruto." She sighed although a part of her felt slightly angered at Naruto complimenting her but she just ignored it.

"No its ok I just don't really get many compliments or at least to my face I don't get many compliments. It was just unexpected, but thank you Naruto. I'm really glad you love my cooking so much." Aya said with a gentle smile on her face.

Naruto just pouted a bit while he looked at Aya and still muttered a sorry. Sasuke looked at Sakura deciding to have a little fun and revenge at the same time.

"I agree with Naruto. He didn't do anything wrong Sakura. You wouldn't happen to be jealous would you?" Sasuke said with a slight smirk on the corner of his lips.

Sakura looked at Sasuke surprised and blushed a little. She quickly turned to prevent one of them from even seeing her face "I don't know what you're talking about Sasuke. Why would I be jealous of Naruto? That's just absurd!"

Naruto was confused by the matter while Sasuke just smirked more from his victory. Aya silently laughed at the three Shinobi's actions.

The arguments were eventually ceased by Sakura threatening Sasuke. The three shinobi continued eating while making small talk among themselves and Aya when she wasn't tending to a customer. Naruto gave a sigh of relief after he devoured all the food he ordered then paid for the bill. The blond shinobi was patting his full stomach in bliss. Sakura looked at the time and frowned a bit.

"I have to get home and get some rest. I have to get up early since Lady Tsunade wants me to take the early shift at the hospital." Sakura said as she stood up and looked at Aya "I'll get with you later and we can talk about having a girl's night out so I can introduce you to the rest of my friends later on. I'll see you three later." She then turned and left.

"Bye Sakura-chan, see you later" Naruto smiled and waved to his pink haired love.

He then turned to both Sasuke and Aya "We should be going as well Sasuke. I haven't gotten you a key for my house yet, and I'm not going to be getting up just so you can get into my house. I have to get up early to train in the morning anyways, so I thought I'd hit the sack earlier than usual. I'll wait for you outside. Bye Aya-chan" Naruto then stood up and walked outside of Ichiraku's to wait for Sasuke.

Aya looked at Sasuke curiously "You and Naruto live together?"

Sasuke groaned in misery when he remembered he had to stay with Naruto. "Yea I have to live with him for six months until my probation is up. I'm actually your surprised that you didn't treat me more coldly, since I'm sure the owner told you who I am."

Aya looked down a bit "Um….well honestly at first I was afraid of you…..but I've never been one to judge people since I know what that's like. I learned what matters is what you do in the present not what you did in the past."

Sasuke was surprised at her words and he almost smiled a bit but turned into a warm smirk "Not many people think like that. You're definitely something unique." He turned around and waved once with his right hand "See you later"

Sasuke then exited Ichiraku's and headed to Naruto's house with the blonde haired idiot. Naruto eventually had started talking about some topic as Sasuke just kept quiet. Aya blushed at Sasuke's response and smiled warmly while she had muttered a silent 'bye'. She then started cleaning up the dishes that were left behind, so she could wash them.

The young waitress walked into the back with the dishes she was greeted by the owner and his daughter. Aya put the dishes in a sink and quickly yet thoroughly washed them. When she finished she noticed it was about time to close and since there wasn't any other customers left she found Teuchi and his daughter.

Teuchi smiled at her warmly like a father. "Well what did you think of Naruto and his two friends?"

Aya gave a thoughtful look "They're all interesting. I didn't expect Naruto to be so free spirited. Sakura seems to be like the adult that keeps things in control, and Sasuke….well he didn't seem too bad at all. I'm not too sure about him. I think I would need to get to know him more before I make a comment on him. In fact I think I should get to know all three of them more, since I know so little about them."

Teuchi nodded in understanding "Well then how about you take the day off after tomorrow? I'm pretty sure one of them will not have anything to do."

Aya nodded "Sounds like a great idea. Thank you Teuchi."

Teuchi gave a light hearted laugh "No problem, anyways I think we should close up and call it a night. It might be a big day tomorrow. You never know."

The two girls nodded in agreement. Everything was eventually cleaned and put in their rightful place. The owner looked at the two girls giving them a small wave.

"Take care you two and get some rest. I'll see you both tomorrow." Teuchi waved bye to the two girls then headed towards his house.

Teuchi's daughter looked at Aya "Come on Aya. Let's go back to my house to get some rest. Oh, by the way how's the search for an apartment coming along? You almost have enough money?"

Aya thought a bit. "Yea, I almost have enough for a cheap yet decent apartment. If anything I'll have one by the end of next week. Thanks for letting me stay at you're house until I have one."

Ayame smiled warmly "You're welcome. If you need anything just ask and I'll do my best to help you out. You're like a little sister to me, so I'd do anything I can."

The young waitress smiled "Well we better get going before it gets too late."

Teuchi's daughter nodded in agreement. The two girls started heading to Ayame's house as the sun was just about to disappear from the horizon. The wind dropped in temperature and picked up in speed a little. Far off in the distance, a shadow disappeared from a tree outside the village gates.

**End of Chapter 2. A small cliff hanger, although don't take much into just yet. That 'shadow' will make its presence known in later chapters. I hope I didn't make Aya a mary sue and if I did please let me know, but just to let everyone know there is more than meets the eye to Aya. You have to remember I'm going to develop her character as well as everyone else's. Please R&R and I'll post the next chapter as soon as possible. Thank you for reading. ^^**


	5. Chapter 3: Bonding

Hello everyone and welcome back ^^. I thank anyone that reviewed for reviewing the story. All of you who read and review really help me keep going since I honestly will make time to get another chapter up even if I'm busy so thank you everyone unless some type of family problem comes up. Which is the reason why it's be awhile since I've replied. I've been having to deal with family issues lately, so I haven't really had the chance to update, but I will continuing updating as soon as possible.

**raidersfan777** - I'll do my best to and thank you for reviewing again ^^.

**SuperNeos2** - Thank's glad to hear that and yes..yes he is XD

**Dark Kyuubi** - Glad you don't think she's a Mary Sue. She'll be pretty important like a mini-plot since it would be no fun as having her as just Sasuke's girlfriend.

**Cloud Ex-SOLDIER** - XD fair enough on the word usage. That's actually not me that uses those more fancy words. It's my beta reader. I'll ask him to tone it down a bit. I agree on Sasuke redemption series. I enjoy them as well and I'm a little confused on the traditional courtship thing. If you could explain a bit more I'd appreciate it ^^.

**I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto franchise characters or settings created by Kishimoto Masashi. **

Chapter 3

A gentle breeze was blowing through the air as Naruto opened his eyes and was staring at the sky. His hands were behind his head while he had a peaceful smile on his face. The blonde Jinchuuriki turned his head a bit in order to look directly up, which caused his eyes to fill with joy as his favorite pink haired kunoichi was brushing her hands through his head. Sakura gave him a warm slightly shy smile down on Naruto.

"You know Naruto this is definitely the best spot within the village. I'm really glad you brought me here to enjoy the sunset with you." She said with happiness within her voice.

Naruto just chuckled a bit "No problem Sakura-chan. I'm really glad you came with me as well, especially since it's not nearly as fun without my precious person."

This naturally caused Sakura to produce a tinge of pink on her cheeks at his comment. The Hokage's apprentice looked away a bit shyly, then back at the cerulean eyed teenager as she slowly started leaning down towards him.

"S-Sakura-chan, w-what are you doing?" Naruto had sported a deep blush himself and butterflies instantly filled his stomach as Sakura closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

Naruto copied Sakura and closed his eyes as well while he starting sitting up getting ready to kiss the girl of his dreams as he thought _"I-Is this really happening?"_

Naruto's eyes suddenly opened up as he landed on the ground in a tangled mess with his comforter. After a few moments, Naruto managed to untangle himself as he started to get a barring of his surroundings. He looked around while rubbing the sore spot on his head and spotted a smirking Uchiha, whose hand was leaning on Kusanagi. The Jinchuuriki's eyes grew large as he just realized what had just happened. He immediately stood up giving Sasuke a death glare.

"You bastard! I was having the best freaking dream ever and you had to go ruin it huh? You don't see me getting up extra early just to kick your lazy butt out of bed do you?" A slight annoyance with anger graced Naruto's tone as he talked to Sasuke, whom merely just shrugged.

"Whatever idiot. You're the one that wanted to get up a little earlier than usual from now on. I was just waking you up." Sasuke said with a smug tone.

Naruto growled a bit in response "Yea, but not this early you jerk! I wanted to get up a little early than usual so we could go to a clothing store and get a new outfit , since we pretty much ruined both of ours when we fought plus I might as well as get some new civilian clothing. Now at the moment we're just stuck with my old civilian clothing and last thing I want is to have Sakura-chan get mad at me for not taking care of this."

Sasuke just waved it off a bit "Yea yea I get it. Just think of this giving you enough time to get ready and get something to eat then. You do know you're going to have to pay for my stuff as well because I haven't been on a mission and the funds for the Uchiha have been frozen?"

Naruto just sighed and cried a little on the inside, but his stomach growled a bit in response to the mention of food. He mumbled some incoherent words under his breath as he stood up to go get ready for the day. Sasuke gave a light smirk in victory as he walked back into the living room of the new house. It was a small decent sized home with two bedrooms, one restroom, complete with a kitchen and living room, which was made for Naruto.

Sakura was walking around the town wearing her usual civilian attire. The day had a gentle cool breeze going by making the day almost perfect, especially with the sun out along with a few clouds. She had some groceries in her hand at the moment with a small careless smile upon her face. The pink haired kunoichi had the day off considering she worked almost all day yesterday and was making the most of it. She was currently day dreaming a bit, which caused her to not really be paying attention to where she was going and run into somebody and closed her eyes as she fell.

"Ow…..I'm so sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going…Aya?" Sakura said with arms clenched around her groceries making sure they hadn't fell onto the ground as she opened her eyes to see who she ran into.

"No it's my…..bad…Sakura?" Aya quickly stood up and helped her friend up.

Sakura smiled as she took Aya's offer of help. The pink haired kunoichi saw that her friend was wearing a lilac colored kimono like shirt with white trim and the sleeves cut off as well as it stopping at a little after her waist. A black skirt stopped right above her knee. Aya also had her hair in a ponytail with a yellow ribbon tied to it along with blue shinobi like sandals.

"Thank you and yes it's me. I'm off today so I thought I'd get some shopping done while I have the chance. You look like you're not working today as well, unless you're just going to work later today?" Sakura asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Aya nodded in agreement and her voice took a comfortable relaxed tone "Yea I have the day off today. I'm just wandering around the village looking for something to do for the day. I'm still pretty new, so I really don't know too many people to be able to hang out with yet."

Sakura's smile widened a little at her friends comment. "Well how about we have a small girl's day then especially since we're both off?"

A smile graced Aya's lips as she replied. "Sure, sounds great. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well first, let's stop at my house so I can drop of these groceries then we can go get something to eat. I'm thinking dango. Is that alright with you?" Sakura asked with a curious tone.

Aya nodded in a little more excitement, than one would think she would usually have. "Yea I love dango. It's one of my favorite foods to eat. I've actually haven't had the time to dry the dango shop over here in the village since I've been busy for the most part. Today is actually my first day off" She said with slight embarrassment.

Sakura just waved it off "It's alright. I pretty sure anyone wouldn't really have time to do fun things while they're working, especially when one is moving into a village. You've only been here about a week so I understand. Come on let's go"

Aya started following Sakura. They were having small conversations about different things as they headed towards the pink haired kunoichi's house. The two young women were too busy in their conversation to notice a blonde haired shinobi waving at them along with a silent Uchiha, whom was shaking his head in disappointment at Naruto.

Naruto stopped waving when neither Sakura nor Aya noticed him. He gave a defeated look and was about to go chase them down when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The blued eyed teen turned and saw that it was his friend that stopped him from going. He responded by sporting an annoyed look upon his face.

"What's the big idea Sasuke? Why did you stop me from going to say hi to Sakura-chan and Aya-chan?" Naruto asked with annoyance in his tone as well as a little confusion.

The raven haired shinobi just sighed a bit as he responded "I just kept you from getting scowled by Sakura. It was obvious that they were having a girl's night. You can go to your grave later on today after we get those clothes that you were complaining about so much."

Naruto grumbled some incoherent words in defeat as he reluctantly agreed to what the Uchiha said. They both continued walking ignoring the cold hard eye's pointed at Sasuke, which were basically telling him to go die. The two top class shinobi eventually found a good looking clothing store, which was new, that also appeared to be a popular shinobi attire shop as stated by its advertisement.

When the cashier saw the two boys her eyes lit up mainly because the Hero of Konoha was in the store. She was about to greet them but quickly noticed Naruto wasn't really paying attention since he was eyeing the different attire.

Naruto started immediately looking around mainly for something orange. Sasuke shook his head at this and walked over to Naruto, whom was looking at everything orange they had. The young Uchiha crossed his arms as he looked at the blonde shinobi.

"Why don't you try finding something that's not orange for once idiot? The last thing I want to hear is Sakura making a fuss over you're choices in clothing." He said with an emotionless tone.

Naruto thought a bit then looked at Sasuke. "Nah, I'll keep the orange but if it will please my lord I'll buy some civilian clothing that's not orange. Does that help my master?" He said with an obvious sarcastic tone

Sasuke glared a bit at Naruto, yet didn't react about the Jinchuuriki sarcastic comment. He sighed and walked away to continue looking for something that he could wear that would suit him. Naruto eventually found a new outfit for his shinobi gear along with casual wear. He went into a changing room to see how both of them turned out.

Sasuke found only a civilian outfit and decided to take it mostly just to waste some of Naruto's money. He walked over to the counter placing down the items down while the store clerk looked at him with a cold stare.

Sasuke just ignored it and returned an expressionless face as he pointed the shirt. "I'd like to have the Uchiha symbol stitched into the back of this shirt and on the right sleeve of the other one."

The cashier just mumbled some incoherent words although Sasuke could tell some of them were insults, yet the clerk reluctantly agreed since Naruto come in with the Uchiha. Sasuke just turned his head when he heard the blonde Jinchuuriki call him.

Naruto came out as well in his new civilian clothing. It was a little like the clothing he used to wear when he was a kid. . He walked over to a mirror and looked at himself then put his arms down. The blonde shinobi walked over to the cash register

Naruto smiled as he held his arms out as his voice took an excited tone to it. "This outfit is awesome! I couldn't find any shinobi attire that I like though." He said the last part in a disappointed tone

Sasuke just shook his head a bit as Naruto walked over to the clerk. "Hey can you stitch a white swirl on the upper left sleeve and a red spiral on the back? Oh also I'd like to pay for everything right now including this outfit and Sasuke's items"

The cashier smiled and nodded as she clasped her hands together "Yep just go put on your previous clothing and I'll ring up you're items then put on the designs that you asked. It shouldn't take more than thirty minutes. Oh, also I bet I can make the two of you something two wear. I would just need to get some measurements and I'm sure I can come up with something that will satisfy the both of you"

Naruto looked at the cashier with a toothy grin "Thank you. That would be great. I really appreciate it"

The two teens went back to separate dressing rooms and changed into their previous clothing. When they came out they put their items on the counter. The cashier took their measurements then walked back as she started writing the measurements down. Less than thirty minutes later the young woman finished with the patching and Naruto paid for the clothes.

The cashier looked at them while a small smile "Alright I have a design for each of you that I think you both would love. Come back in a few days from now and they should be ready. Thank you for shopping here."

Naruto nodded in understanding. The two teens walked out of the store a little later on dressed in their new civilian attire. Naruto convinced a reluctant Sasuke about going to find Sakura and Aya to show them their new looks.

Sakura and Aya were sitting at an outside table of a dango restaurant enjoying some Mitarashi dango. They had been walking around town making small talk about different things and basically getting to know each other. Sakura found out that Naruto was right when he said that there was more to Aya than meets the eye.

Sakura smiled at her friend "So Aya, how do you like it in Konoha?"

Aya smiled a little as she thought a bit "Well it's a beautiful village that's for sure. All the people are nice. I mean I don't really know many people yet strangers wave and smile at me when I walk by. Although, I think it's because I'm a new waitress at Ichiraku's Ramen."

Sakura waved off her last comment "Don't sell yourself short Aya, the people of Konoha are pretty much like that all the time save for a few jerks. If anything I bet you got a small trail of fan boys that will be following you soon especially with the way you cook."

Aya blushed a little at the comment yet frowned a bit as well "Thank you, but unfortunately those fans are a little perverted as well, so I get a little afraid when I notice they're following me….."

Sakura just smiled as she punched one of her fist into the other hand. "I can deal with them for you."

Aya laughed a bit "That would be a big relief. Anyways, I was wondering what do you think of your two teammates Naruto and Sasuke along with the story of both of them?"

Sakura titled her head a bit in confusion at the question. "Well I'll start off with Sasuke I guess. He's….well it's hard to explain now. At first I'll be honest I had a huge crush on him when we just became a team even before. He was that cool, silent type. At first Sasuke was caring even though he didn't show it so, I wanted him to return my feelings. Although, I think it was just admiration because at the time I wanted to be acknowledged and popular since that's what almost every young girl wanted. I was always picked on because of my forehead so in turn I figured if I became popular then people wouldn't tease me. I think a part of me fell in love with him when he complimented my forehead. The weird thing was he disappeared, to which I assumed he was nervous. When he came back he was the same old cold Sasuke….even called me annoying. I'm still confused about that event even today."

The pink haired Kunoichi sighed a bit "When he betrayed our village, I was devastated. I asked Naruto to bring him back to him and he made a promise of a life time that he would bring Sasuke back to me. I remember hearing about the team that was sent out to retrieve Sasuke being in the hospital. I'll be honest a part of me was excited since I had believed Naruto kept his promise, but what I found was worse than I expected."

Sakura looked back at Aya "The receptionist told me there was no Sasuke in the hospital, so I asked for Naruto. I planned on thanking him for keeping his promise and to also clear up why Sasuke wasn't in the hospital. When I got to his room I opened the door and at the moment Naruto had told Shikamaru that he was disappointed he failed the mission and his promise to me. I became devastated to the point all I could do was cry and make a promise saying we'd bring Sasuke back together next time."

She gave a sadden laugh "The sad thing is after Naruto went on two and a half years of training with Jairya, and I trained with the Hokage we still couldn't bring him back. It escalated to the point Sasuke became an S-Rank criminal. I never wanted to believe that, yet I knew Naruto wouldn't give up because of the promise he made me. In turn, I figured if I had told Naruto that I loved him instead of Sasuke he'd stop his quest for him. I was confused about my feelings at that time and Naruto saw right through me. He even said that he hated people that lie to themselves."

Sakura was refraining from crying a little at the moment "I then made the decision to free Naruto of his burden by aiming to kill Sasuke. I didn't want to lose Naruto like how we lost Sasuke, so I planned to free Sasuke of his hate and Naruto of his promise. My views of Sasuke changed at that moment and during the war. Sasuke almost killed me, but Naruto managed to save me. That blonde idiot claimed that they both would die together freeing them of all burdens and then truly being able to live in peace. When that final battle between those two commenced in the war I was afraid because I knew that Naruto planned to die along with Sasuke. At that moment I didn't want to rescue Sasuke, but Naruto, so that's what I did when their battle was over. Two other kunoichi were dealing with Sasuke. I don't trust Sasuke anymore, but I trust Naruto. If that baka believes in Sasuke then I'll put my faith in Naruto that he's making the right decision."

Aya frowned a bit "Sounds like they had a hard life."

Sakura nodded "I can understand to a point of why Sasuke did what he did. He was consumed with hate and grief when his own brother killed his family. He would naturally want revenge."

Aya nodded a bit understanding what Sakura meant. "Yea, I can see what you mean. I still think you out to give Sasuke a second chance. I hope I'm not stepping out of line here but everyone deserves a second chance no matter what they've done. I bet Naruto feels the same exact way in fact. Now what about Naruto? What's the story on him?"

Sakura nodded a bit then laughed at Aya's question "Well when we first met I considered him an annoying blonde idiot who didn't have a chance of being great. I would later find out that was far from right. My opinion of him started changing on our first mission. I'm not sure what happened much since we were fighting in a thick mist, but I do remember him saving Kakashi with the help of Sasuke. Naruto is a dedicated, loyal, kind, and caring individual. He has his smart and dumb moments, yet he's true to himself. He's proven to be an amazing friend time and time again. He can even cheer anyone up no matter how low they're feeling. It was when he saved me three years ago from Gaara that I fully respected him. I believed that he could do anything no matter the odds. Naruto is one of those individuals you just can't help but feel safe and warm with. He has come far. Some people consider him to be greater than the Fourth Hokage."

Aya smiled warmly "He does seem like an amazing person. Do you like him as more than a friend?"

Sakura blushed at that and laughed a little "I'm not sure what my feelings for him are anymore. I've been trying to figure that one out since the end of the war."

Aya nodded in understanding "Well you probably better figure it out soon or else you might not have a chance with him at all."

Sakura nodded in understanding then sighed "Yea I get what you mean but it's a little more complicated than that. I'm not sure if Naruto even likes me in that way anymore especially after that incident about me telling him that I loved him."

Aya was about to respond when she heard someone calling their names. She turned and saw both Naruto and Sasuke sporting different outfits. The young girl along with Sakura blushed a little at the two although at different people, although it wasn't noticeable.

Naruto had his hands behind his head with a toothy grin on his face while Sasuke's arms were just crossed along with a neutral expression upon his face. Naruto had changed into his green cargo shorts along with the red T-shirt, which had a black sleeveless hoodie over it. His Hitai-ate was tied around his upper left arm, which made his bangs go in his eyes a bit along with making his hair look wilder. Sasuke was wearing also wearing black pants along with his new black sleeveless shirt that looked exactly like his previous one. The zipper was fully zipped up.

"So Sakura-chan and Aya-chan what do you two think? I'm actually not wearing orange for once" The blonde Jinchuuriki said with slight eagerness.

Sakura willed her blush to go away. "Y-you make it work Naruto. I'm glad your finally not wearing orange for once, but then again I'm guessing that's just both your and Sasuke's civilian clothes huh?"

Aya looked at Naruto smiling shyly "I like how it looks on you Naruto a-and the same for you Sasuke."

Naruto just laughed a bit nervously while rubbing the back of his head "Thanks and yea they're just civilian clothing, although the lady said she would make us something. I'm not sure what it's going to look like, but I'm positive it will be great."

Sasuke looked at the two girls after nodding his thanks to Aya "I hope we weren't interrupting because this baka just had to come and show you two his new clothes."

Naruto just shrugged at Sasuke's comment "Whatever Sasuke, I wanted to say hi to them when we saw them in town, but you didn't like the idea."

Sakura looked at Naruto speaking to him in a teasing voice "Well it's a good thing you listened because then you wouldn't have to have dealt with me for interrupting our girl bonding."

Naruto gave a childish pout "That's mean Sakura-chan. Oh, I was wondering do you two want to do anything? I mean unless you're still busy then I understand."

Aya looked at Naruto "Well I wouldn't mind if you joined us. I think we were actually going to decide what to do next.

Naruto started scratching his cheek with his finger while he was in thought. "Well…we could go to the movies or something. Although, I'm not really sure what would be showing to best honest."

The girls nodded in agreement while Sasuke just shrugged not really caring what they did at the moment. Naruto was about to tell them to follow when Kakashi appeared in front of them in his usual entrance. The Jonin looked at the group with his one eye, than gave them a smile from under his mask.

Kakashi waved once to the group. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but the Hokage needs to see you Sasuke. She has a mission for you"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow "What kind of mission?"

The Jonin pulled out his book and started reading it while looking at Sasuke at the same time "She never said what it was about just that it was a D-rank mission."

Sasuke's eyes twitched at the rank of the mission. Naruto started rolling on the ground laughing at his friend's expression as well as the rank of the mission. He managed to catch his breath for a second then proceeded to point at Sasuke.

"Well look who has to do a low and boring D-rank mission. Who's the dobe now Sasuke" The blonde Jinchuuriki said in a smugand amused tone.

Sasuke growled and was about to react when a thought occurred in his mind. He gave Naruto a evil smirk, which confused Naruto. Aya and Sakura both titled their heads in curiosity at Sasuke's gesture.

"What are you smiling at me like that teme?" The blonde shinobi asked still displaying confusion on his face.

Sasuke crossed his arms while looking at Naruto. "Well if I remember correctly you're supposed to keep watch of me. That includes on missions. Let me put this into simple terms that even you're slow brain would understand. Any mission I have to do means you have to do the same mission as well. In other words, you also have to do the D-rank mission baka."

Naruto just stood still with lost look on his face. Sakura and Aya both giggled at the blonde Jinchuuriki's reaction, while Kakashi just smiled with his eye closed. The blonde shinobi's eyes widen in realization of what he was told.

"…..WHAT! You've got to be kidding me right? You're only joking around to mess with me as revenge teme!" Naruto was frantic as his hands were in his hair. He turned to Kakashi "H-He's joking right?"

Kakashi just kept his smile "No, he's right. You were the one that agreed to the terms given by Lady Tsunade. If you remember correctly she had said you will guard him. That means even on mission of low ranking"

Naruto fell down to his knees with tears running down his eyes "N-no this has to be some bad dream…..after all this time I got rid of D-ranked missions." He pointed at Sasuke with a slight glare "Now I have to do them again because of you!"

Sasuke just shrugged while still sporting a smug smirk "Not my fault or problem. You're the one that offered to guard me so that's what you get." He looked at the two girls "I guess we'll see you two later then. I'm sure Naruto is eager to get his new missions."

Sasuke waved bye to them then started heading off towards the Hokage Tower followed by Kakashi. Naruto was trudging after them after having mumbled a bye to the girls as well. Sakura and Aya just looked at each other than giggled.

Aya stopped laughing then turned to Sakura "Well I guess we better call it a day as well Sakura. I need to get some sleep for work tomorrow and you're right Naruto does know how to make people laugh."

Sakura nodded in agreement "yea same here, I have to start working at the hospital tomorrow. It was fun. Next time you're going to meet my other friends."

Aya smiled then nodded. The two friends then said their goodbyes and departed. The sun had just begun to set and a cooler breeze set in signaling the start of the end of the day.


	6. Chapter 4: Plans for the Future

Hello everyone I'm back. Sorry this would have been updated a lot sooner but a few things happened that prevented me from doing so. I've been got a summer job to make some extra money, but the main reason as to why I haven't updated is my internet was cut off from summer until now. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to inform you because by the time I found out it was too late. I thank everyone that reviewed for this previous chapter as well as **MrUnclePeanuts** for putting a review for the prologue.

Also I was thinking of doing another story that would be a total AU. Ever since seeing Kushina I've had this huuuuge urge to do a story where Naruto actually has his parents. I'm not sure if it would be like in real world setting or shinobi world but I believe that more stories having to do with the The Namikaze family should be made. I'll be honest with everyone the episodes with Kushina and Naruto almost made me cry XD It was a very touching moment. I just feel that Kushina and Minato should be honored more by having more stories with them alive. PM or even put it in your reviews of what you think about my idea of doing a story that will actually have Kushina and Minato alive.

**MrUnclePeanuts - **lol I agree with you. When you said that I had to hear it for myself. I ended up listening to that theme and reading some of my prologue. Probably should put a link to that song on there for people to get more interested in the fight XD.

**Dark Kyuubi **- Thanks and they are friends just like in the manga. Of course Naruto probably won't use Kurama's chakra unless if he needs to, but they'll still have those humorous moments. I thought of a way for Naruto not being able to use Kurama's chakra and this chapter will actually say it.

**Me - ** To whom ever Me is (no it's not actually me XD) thank you ^^

**SuperNeos2 - **Yes Sasuke can be cruel which makes things funny XD. Although Naruto will indirectly get some revenge ^^

**I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto franchise characters or settings created by Kishimoto Masashi.**

Chapter 4: Plans for** the Future**

Naruto was trudging along covered in dirt and a bruise on his cheek and his clothes in a worse condition. "I can't believe I had to pull stupid weeds and ended up getting punched by that lady for pulling a flower. All of this happened because I had to agree to watch that bastard."

The young Jinchuuriki made his way through the village with nothing in particular to do since Sasuke was with Kakashi reporting to the Hokage. Naruto was to return to get Sasuke within an hour or so since Lady Tsunade had some thing she wanted to talk to Sasuke about. The blonde shinobi looked down at his clothes and groaned at their condition.

Naruto looked around a bit then had a smile upon his face "That lady said those clothes should be ready by now. I'm going to go check them out."

He immediately headed towards the store by rooftops. Within a few minutes Naruto arrived at his destination and entered the store. The cashier was busy with another customer so she didn't notice the Hero of Konoha right away. Naruto decided to look around for fun of it.

A few minutes later the customer walked out of the store with their purchases and the young cashier noticed Naruto, who was looking at the different scrolls they had. When he turned around he noticed the young woman waving him over and walked over.

The blond shinobi gave her a big smile "Hi, I've come to see if your finished with those new outfits you were making for me and my friend?"

The cashier clasped her hands together with a smile on her face "Yes, I actually finished them not too long ago. Do you want to see them both or just yours?"

Naruto scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Hmmmm well let me see them both. I'm sure mine will fit me perfectly."

The young woman nodded and went into the back for a few seconds. She came back with two different outfits that were in black protection bags and laid them down on the counter. The cashier gestured for Naruto to open them both to see if he liked them. The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki looked at them both and opened the one on the right. He was interally disappointed since it was Sasuke's new outfit yet liked the way it looked. Naruto then moved onto the bag that held his new outfit. His eyes widen at the design and looked at the cashier.

"This is amazing! It fits me perfectly and you even kept the orange color to it. Sasuke's new shinobi gear is perfect as well. How much do I have to pay?"

The girl giggled a bit "Well….I actually talked to my boss about this order and he said as thanks for stopping Pain it is free. Oh I also added an extra touch to yours but I wasn't sure if you would want it or not."

Naruto frowned a bit and titled his head in curiosity "I'm not one for taking things for free…..how about if I pay half? Your work deserves to be paid for and what's the extra touch you added?"

The young lady gave a small smile "Well if you really insist I can't argue with you. Oh, the extra touch is this…."

She reached from under her counter and pulled out a familiar looking shot sleeve red cloak with black flames on the bottom. Naruto's eyes widen a bit from surprise, then a soft smile graced his face. The blonde shinobi bowed to the cashier and looked her in the eyes.

"Thank you, this means a lot to me actually. It represents my late master as well as my father. Can you make more of these? There's a good possibility that they'll get ruined while I'm on missions?" He asked with a hopeful tone in his voice

The lady nodded "Your very welcome. I'm glad that you love the outfits as well as the cloak, and I'll have more made for you by the end of the week."

Naruto smiled as he pulled out Gama-chan and got the money he had to pay. The blonde shinobi took his purchases and took them home to put the items up. After Naruto went home he would head to the Hokage's building to get Sasuke.

Tsunade had her elbows on her desk with her hands clasped together in midair. The Hokage's chin rested on her hands as she gave Sasuke a neutral look, which he returned. Kakashi, whom was reading his Icha Icha Paradise, was outside her office leaning against the wall waiting for the small meeting to be finished.

Tsunade put her hands on the table as she looked Uchiha in the eye. "Before I tell you why I called you here Sasuke, I need to know something. Are you actually going to serve and protect a village that sees you as nothing but a traitor and killer with every fiber of your being?"

Sasuke kept a calm composure at the question. "Yes, I'm going to atone for the pain and sorrow I have caused. If it means dealing with those eyes of resentment from the village so be it. If that baka can do it then it should be easy"

The Hokage smiled a bit at his comment. "I see your rivalry with Naruto will never end. Alright, well your eyes show that determination of what you say, so I'll believe you. Now as for the real reason as to why I called you here. If what you say is true then I have a proposition for you. As you know the Uchiha Estate is one built on pain and sorrow, yet I have an idea that will benefit you as well as the village."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in interest. "What's this idea?"

The blonde Hokage stood up and looked out the window with one hand on her hip. "I believe we should destroy it and start anew. This way it will help people heal easier since they won't have a visual to link pain with. In turn, you also can start the clan on your terms, which according to Naruto will be one of peace and love. I will allow you as much land of that area you want to rebuild the new Uchiha Estate. What you don't use will be donated to the village in order to make new businesses, homes, and other things. This should make the future Uchiha feel more connected to the village, and the villagers more acquainted with your clan."

She turned around and looked at him "Of course since your still the sole owner of the estate you have the final decision Sasuke. If you want to think about it I'll give you till the end of today to give me an answer."

Sasuke had his hands cupped together raised on the desk with his mouth behind them as he was thinking. After a few moments he opened his eyes and stood up. Tsunade looked at the young Uchiha to see what he would do.

"As long as I get to make the plans on how the new house will look like and what shops will be built I'm fine with it. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to being guarded by the village idiot." Sasuke then walked out of the Hokage's.

Kakashi looked up from his book seeing that Sasuke had finished the meeting. The Jonin started walking with his former student heading to the roof to wait for Naruto, since someone had to be watching Sasuke at all times. When they arrived at the roof, Kakashi was leaning with his back against the rail.

The Copy Ninja kept his eye focused on the book "So what did the Hokage have to talk to you about if I may ask?"

Sasuke leaned against the railing "Plans for my future and what is to happen to the Uchiha estate."

Kakashi nodded his head a bit then went back to reading his book. They two silent shinobi were enjoying the peace and quiet along with the gently breeze that was going through the air. Sasuke closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift to plans for the future of his clan.

Naruto was nearing the Hokage tower with his hands behind his head. The blonde Jinchuuriki was actually thinking about how things are now with Sasuke back and how the last Uchiha changed. He laughed at the thought of how Sasuke was still quite yet seemed to be more friendly and talkative as well. His thoughts then drifted to his newest friend Aya, and how she was really warming up to him, Sakura, Sasuke.

The blond shinobi still remembered how the civilian girl didn't judge Sasuke right away. It made him think that maybe something happened to her in her past, or she was one of those people to not judge someone right away regardless of rumors.

Naruto sighed a bit as he thought _"Then there's Sasuke….he's seemed to warm up the Aya pretty fast. I've never seen him do that before. I noticed how he looked at her for a reaction of his new civilian clothing. Could he be developing a small crush on Aya?"_

Naruto groaned a bit and just rubbed his head a bit. "Waaay to early to be thinking so much."

Naruto eventually arrived at the tower. He stretched a bit and happened to look up seeing his best friend and former sensei. The Fourth's son smiled and quickly went inside to head the to roof. When Naruto arrived to the top he immediately headed to the other two ninja.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei I'll take Sasuke off your hands now. I know how much of a handful he can be" Naruto said in a mock tone.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and nodded "Try to stay out of trouble you two. I don't want to have Tsunade get after me because you two started a fight." He waved his hand once and disappeared in his usual fashion.

Sasuke looked at his friend "Let's get dobe."

Naruto sighed "Hello to you to Sasuke."

The two shinobi left the tower and started walking around. Naruto was trying to think of something to do but wasn't sure. He was becoming more irritated since he was getting bored very fast. The blonde shinobi was about to suggest to go find Sakura and Aya yet was interrupted.

"You want to go spar? I could do with the exercise and I'm sure you have a lot of energy to blow off." Sasuke suggested yet kept his eyes looking forward.

Naruto laughed a bit "Alright! Finally get to beat you do and show you who's the true dead last."

Sasuke rolled his eyes a bit at the comment. "I want to work on my eternal mangekyou sharingan more, so I need you to use that nine tails chakra mode against me."

Naruto thought a bit about the proposition and nodded in agreement. He wanted to work and improve on using Kurama's chakra as well. The two teens headed towards the training field and both got in their respective fighting stances. Sasuke immediately activated his mangekyou sharingan and waited for Naruto to use his ability as well. Naruto closed his eyes, but when he opened them he was still normal. He looked at his hands confused as to why he wasn't in the Nine Tails Chakra mode.

"There's something wrong. It's like I can't access that form for some reason" Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion.

Sasuke's eyes returned to normal and he walked over to his friend. "Try talking to the Nine Tails and see what's going on."

Naruto nodded as he sat down going into his meditating position. In a few seconds he appeared in the sewer like mindscape and started heading towards his destination. The blonde shinobi was walking through the final corridor that held the large gate at the end.

He was standing in front of the gate with his arms crossed.

Naruto tilted his head a bit "Hey Kurama wake up."

Kurama opened his eyes showing his red colored eyes "What is it kid?"

"Why can't I go into the chakra mode? Is something going on that your not telling me?" He asked in a curious tone.

The giant fox sighed a bit "There is a reason as to why you can't go into that mode at the moment."

Naruto put his hands behind his head "Weellll care to tell me?"

Kurama focused his eyes on Naruto while resting his head against his paws "It's pretty simple actually. I have to rebuild my chakra. When you last fought the Uchiha we both went out. In turn you ended up going into the chakra mode as well as bringing me out to fight that other entity. This caused a big strain on me more than you. In the final attack when I used the Tailed Beast Ball I ended up using pretty much was left of my chakra. The reason you and the Uchiha are even still alive is because you were still in that form which formed a protective shell around you both when you two clashed with your jutsus."

Naruto brought his hands down "Well how long is it going to take for you to recover to one hundred percent?"

Kurama thought a bit "Well it depends on how much you have to use. It may take awhile since I'm not feeding on your chakra because you not using mine. I'd give it about a month at most to be fully recovered since my chakra is also apart of yours so when you use chakra a small yet a decent amount of mine is used. If you weren't to train at all or go on any missions. I'd say about two weeks tops, but we all know that's not going to happen huh?" He smirked a bit

Naruto groaned "Well then I guess I have no choice but to wait then. Alright that's all I came to talk about for now."

The Jinchuuriki waved once and disappeared, while Kurama closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Sasuke who was sitting down himself waiting for Naruto to finish. Naruto put his hands on his knees looking at his best friend and brother.

"I can't go into that form. It seems that our last big battle pretty much wiped out his chakra so in turn he has to recover. He said it might take a month at most only because he knows I will be training and going on missions . It would speed the process up if he consumed some of my chakra yet for that to happen I would have to take some of his as well, but he has very little.." The blonde shinobi stated

Sasuke just shook his head in disappointment as he sat down "Guess there's no point in going all out at the moment since it would be an unfair advantage."

Naruto ignored the comment, while he replied in a sarcastic remark "Well I still have Sage Mode your highness. Would that suffice for a good sparring match?"

The Uchiha growled at the remark "Fine, whatever baka. If you get injured it's not my fault or problem"

Tsunade was sitting down tapping her fingers against the desk. She was trying to figure out how to tell Naruto of what she and Kakashi had manage to find. The Hokage turned around facing the scenery outside her window, while giving a small sigh. Kakashi was leaning against the wall waiting for what his leader had to say.

"Are you sure you would be able to break the seals Kakashi? I mean if you can't there's no point in telling the boy what you found." Tsunade asked in a curious tone.

Kakashi just shrugged "I should be able to break them, yet there is a small chance I can't. You know how well they were with seals Lady Tsunade."

She sighed a bit "Yea I guess your right. Report to me on the progress within a couple of hours whether it be good or bad."

Kakashi nodded in understanding then walked out the room. As he was going through the hallway Sakura came up with some papers in her arms. The pink haired girl noticed her sensei and stopped a bit giving him a small smile.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei. Is there some kind of important mission you have going on? She asked with a casual tone.

Kakashi looked at the medic nin and smiled through his mask. "You could say that. It's not a dangerous one but it could be important for a certain knuckle headed ninja."

Sakura's curiosity peaked when the copy ninja mentioned Naruto. "Oh? May I ask what it is that would be important for Naruto?"

Kakashi put his hand on the pinkette's head. "You can ask, but I won't tell. I'm not sure I'll be able to complete this mission anyways. If I do well you'll see what it was that was important."

Sakura groaned as the jonin walked away. She continued heading towards the Hokage's office to give her more papers to look over. When she entered her sensei was drinking a small thing of Sake while trying to deal with papers that Shizune had brought in. When the blonde haired woman looked up she groaned and started pouring more of the drink in the cup. Sakura just shook her head as she set down the papers she had in her hands.

"You know Shizune is going to find that secret stash sooner or later Lady Tsunade." Sakura said in a matter of fact tone.

The Hokage just waved off Sakura. "Whatever just go find that baka and tell him to meet me in two hours in my office."

Sakura bowed a bit and left the office to search for her blonde haired friend. While walking through the streets Sakura's mind was wondering about what it was that would be important to Naruto. There would be many things since Kakashi could be very secretive when he wanted to.

After hearing a small explosion followed by a bright light the young woman sighed in disappointment.

"It seems like they're sparring again. Those two will never be able to just spar. They always have to go overboard to outdo the other it seems." Sakura said to herself as she neared the training grounds.

When the pink haired kunoichi got there she started rubbing her temple with her hands. She looked around trying to spot the two noticing them in a dead lock between fist. It looked like they were trying to over power the other noticing Naruto was in Sage Mode while Sasuke had his sharingan on. She walked over to them causing Naruto to lose concentration for a bit which gave Sasuke the edge he needed. The Uchiha managed to toss Naruto over him then slammed the blonde shinobi into the ground.

Naruto grunted in pain a bit then sat up looking at Sasuke "That was an unfair advantage. Sakura distracted me you know?"

The Uchiha just shrugged "A win is a win baka. It's not my fault if she distracted you. Anyways what are you doing here Sakura? Did you just come to watch the blonde idiot or is there something you need to say?" He asked as he turned to Sakura.

Sakura's cheeks reddened mainly at anger. "Shut up! I did not come to watch Naruto or you. I needed to find Naruto and let him know that Lady Tsunade needs to talk to him about something. I'm not sure what it is though. Kakashi-sensei and her were being secretive about something, but it has to do with you Naruto."

Naruto titled his head in curiosity "Oh really? I wonder what's so important." His eye's instantly lit up as he jumped onto his feet.

"Maybe it's some important mission! I've gotta go find out. Hey Sakura do me a favor and watch Sasuke. I'll take any punishment there is for not watching him, but it doesn't matter. He won't cause any trouble for the village and your monster strength is enough to hand…..ehhh Sakura-chan why are you looking at me like that?" He asked seeing his teammate's vein was showing as well as her eyes had a killer intent on them.

Sakura started growling a bit "I told you not to say I have monstrous strength. YOU BAKA!"

At that moment Sakura punched the blonde Jinchuuriki in the face with chakra enhanced blow. It sent Naruto flying high above the ground towards the direction of the Hokage's office. Sasuke's eyes widen in fear a bit, since that blow was more powerful than usual. Sakura slowly turned to Sasuke with a evil glint in her eye.

"Do you have anything to say about my 'monstrous strength' Sasuke?" She asked with a challenging tone.

Sasuke slowly shook his head "No, I'd rather live to see another day then face your wrath…"

Sakure popped her knuckles with a evil smile "Good your learning and if I have to watch you that means I can get a little payback for everything stupid you've done. Don't worry I'm not one to hold a grudge but I do believe in justice Sasuke"

Sasuke gulped afraid of what the kunoichi could do at the moment. "O-oh really and how will you get your payback?"

Sakura just smiled sweetly "Oh, you know invite Ino and Aya on a little shopping spree. You know us girls need a strong boy to hold every single one of our bags. Plus it will bruise your pride since you would have to go into every store we go into. That means hours of shopping for clothes. Sounds nice doesn't it?"

Sasuke's eyes filled with horror. "Your joking right? Please tell me Naruto's humor rubbed off on you a bit?"

Sakura responded by grabbing his wrist with strength behind the grip. "Oh I'm not kidding. Your just going to have to deal with what's to come Uchiha."

Sakura grabbed Sasuke, who was froze in horror, by the ear then started dragging him. The medic nin went to go find her two friends to enjoy a wonderful evening of shopping for anything. Some of the villagers looked on in fear seeing the evil glint in Sakura's eye and decided it was best to stay out of her way. A few of them even said a silent prayer for the young Uchiha having to face her wrath.

Sasuke was still numb from fear as he thought _"I'd rather take on a whole country with an arm tied to my back and blindfolded instead of shopping….I'm so screwed right now"_

**End of the Chapter.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter I made. If any of you are wondering yes I just did a small cliff hanger XD. The next chapter will explain what the important thing that has to do with Naruto. Don't worry action will start being apart of the story soon. I will start with the mini plot having to do with Aya yet it will be apart of the main plot. It's like a stepping stone into the main plot ^^. Please Read and Review. Oh one last thing if you want to see a general idea of what Sasuke and Naruto's new outfits look like then PM me and I'll show you the pictures. They aren't mine so I will not be taking credit for the new clothes of Naruto and Sasuke (especially since I suck at thinking of some pretty good clothing for me XD )**


	7. Status Update

Hey everyone, this isn't a new chapter unfortunately. It's mainly a status update I guess you could say? Anyways, I do have good news and bad news, but before I tell all of you both I wanna apologize for not writing a chapter for like two years now I believe? I can honestly say that some personal things happened in my family, and there were a lot of hobbies or activities that were affected because of that. Unfortunately, my fanfictions were affected because of this and I do hope everyone can forgive me for basically ignoring things. I am doing a lot better now, although last year I did start attending college and thought what I wanted to do, which involved drawing, was for me, but I found out it wasn't. In fact, I learned that I loved to write a lot more than drawing. That and my girlfriend have encouraged me to get back into the game and I figured that's what I'll do. Anyways, enough of that seeing as I'm sure a majority of you would rather hear the good and bad news.

I'll start with the bad news first. I'm putting Rising Storm on a temporary hiatus and don't worry I'm not scrapping the story. The truth was that I had planned on making the Sage of Six Path's the main enemy for reason that would have been explained in the story, but seeing as those of you who do keep up with the manga that in a sense my idea for the final "villain" would have basically been the same thing in a sense. Now for those that are reading this and aren't keeping up with the manga don't worry I didn't spoil anything for you seeing as I didn't reveal what's going on, so please don't give me any comments about that. I've been thinking of how my story will go about now, but once I figure out who the main antagonist will be then I'll let you know when I start back up on it.

Now for the good news. First and foremost I am back. I plan on making more stories maybe some one-shots or short stories. I intend on doing one shots for couples like Narusaku for example, while the short stories may deal with pairings that I feel would need to take development for them to be true to themselves like Naruhina. Now I'm not saying that I hate Naruhina it is one of my more favored pairings, but for me to see it be believable I think Naruto would have to get over Sakura and actually develop feelings for Hinata. I've also been thinking about doing some mother-son family fics with Kushina because she is one of my favorite characters as well as there's not a lot of those kinda stories with her that I would like.

Finally, the major good news that I was planning on saying, which hopefully all of you consider good news is that I am going to be planning a Naruto crossover. I'm not sure why, but I got a big passion I guess you could say to do one. I do plan on doing multiple crossovers hopefully, but I plan to only be focusing on one because it's not an easy thing to do. I'm sure most of you are curious as to what the crossover is with and I've decide to go with RWBY. Now I don't plan on just having Naruto there will be another "main" character that will be joining him from the Narutoverse and I wonder if some of you can guess who it will be. I will tell you all ahead of time that I will end up changing Naruto and the other characters abilities slightly to fit the universe of the other world, but the abilities will be generally the same from their home world. I believe this will allow me to have the characters develop in strength and hopefully character, as well as I personally do not like a god-like Naruto or a super strong Naruto beating everyone that gets in his way with ease. That is unrealistic to me, but that's my personal opinion. I'm not dissing any stories that have Naruto like that because there are good ones out there like that, but like I said they're not my preference. I will also have pairings for the two, although I'm letting everyone know ahead of time it will not be a harem, so please don't ask me to do that because I don't like harems and therefore won't do it. I can't see Naruto doing something like that as well as I don't like the concept, so therefore I won't be doing it. I ask ahead of time don't try to convince me because honestly it's not happening and I highly doubt I could make a good story in my opinion if it had a harem in it. If it turns out crappy well then none of you would really like it if I don't really like it.

That's pretty much all I have to say. If you have any questions feel free to ask one through PM or leave one in the reviews. I'll try to answer as fast as possible. Thank all of you who still want to stay with me even though I was gone for so long. It means a lot to me. I will begin the prologue to the crossover soon, so keep an eye out for that in the near future. Oh, and thank you for taking the time to read all of this.


	8. New Story

Hey everyone, just letting you know that I just posted the start of my Naruto/RWBY crossover. I hope you enjoy the first chapter. It's called Remnant's Dawn and you should be able to go to it through my profile. Enjoy!


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